Thoughts for Brexit

The Policy changes for agricultural and food are wide ranging but can roughly be divided into four areas with each of these subdivided. Currency changes are as important and will change the relative importance of the components.

The UK vote to leave the EU on 23rd June was only the start of a long process of negotiation with the other 27 member states. This will begin in earnest once the Prime Minister signs the “article 50 letter” some time in March 2017. The negotiations will likely be concluded by April 2019. UK will then cease to be a member of the EU.

The response of the EU27 will not become clear until the negotiations start, probably in April 2017. Council President Donald Tusk has said they will not agree to any informal discussions before then.

The other member states will agree their negotiating strategy in public, and subject it to the approval of over 30 Parliaments in the EU. UK government will seek to keep its negotiating strategy secret (including from MPs) until the talks begin, but may now need parliamentary assent to their negotiating mandate in order to serve the initial notice and trigger the talks.

The negotiations must conclude at the end of two years unless there is unanimous agreement to extend them. UK is not in a strong negotiating position – it can hardly threaten to get up and leave the talks and cannot take the risk that one member state would block an extension to the talks.

This is a text! You can edit, move, copy or delete it.